Chapter XVII
“Are you sure that you want to see to this personally, My Queen?” Gath asked hesitantly. “You have not yet fully recovered from your wounds, and I would not have you trot into harm's way,” the rather stocky changeling drone said.
“I am sure, Swarm Leader. This is the most important event in the history of The Hive, and more importantly, the history of the entire planet. Everything we have strode for, everything we have built, and every life we have hatched under these sands will be for naught if we cannot weather the coming storm,” Chrysalis said calmly.
“Yes, but what if these aliens and their pony allies try to seek vengeance on us for our attempted coup? Or what if they come for less honorably reasons than what they claim?” Gath pointed out. “At least allow me to meet them before they reach us, to ensure their peaceful intentions.”
Chrysalis didn't seem to hear him, though, and was instead lost in her own thoughts. “I had honestly tried to forget that this day would come,” she said wistfully. “My mother had warned me, not to mention that the great Matriarchs from the past had tried to warn me as well. I had ignored them, of course. I was tired of living in the shadows, scraping a thankless existence off of the scraps of other species. I suppose it is my punishment for my hubris that the prophecy is fulfilled during my reign.”
There was a profound silence that followed this pronouncement as Gath tried to make sense of his Queen's ramblings. However, before he could finish his contemplations, a loud roaring sound broke the silence, causing the assembled changelings to glance up in terror as a sleek, black pod shot through the air overhead. It hovered for a little bit above a nearby sand dune, then gently touched down, throwing up a dust storm around it.
“It is still not too late, they have not yet reached the oasis. We can still take them by surprise without them even setting foot on this sacred place,” Gath urged his Queen, baring his fangs as the strange craft's door opened.
“You will do no such thing. These visitors, and their pony allies, are not to be harmed,” Chrysalis snapped, her eyes glowing dangerously as she glared at the overzealous drone. “To harm them is to bring about my wrath, and need I remind you what happened to the drones that chose to rebel after the failed coup?”
Gath gulped awkwardly as he backed down. “I apologize, My Queen. I spoke out of turn, and for that I am prepared to face my punishment.”
“I have no desire to punish such a loyal warrior, just remember where to direct your wrath. These visitors are not our enemies, nor are the ponies, though they will not treat us like it after what happened at Canterlot,” Chrysalis said dismissively. She then let out a sigh of regret, rubbing her forehead with her hoof as she did so. “It was folly in me to attempt to change our status as guardians of the shadows, and for that I must pay the price. That must come later, though. First, we must survive the coming onslaught.”
Further conversation came to a halt, however, when the delegates exited the strange craft.
“By the Matriarchs, what are they?” Gath hissed at the sight of the approaching aliens and their pony allies.
Their apparent leader was a tall, fur-less biped who's face was covered in scars. It had a strange, brown tuft of hair similar to a pony's mane on the top of its head, as well as two much smaller tufts directly above its eyes. Its skin was an extremely light, beige color that was tinged with various shades of pink here and there, as well as other blemishes that were too numerous to mention. It wore a deep blue uniform with gold trim, while on its right breast pocket it wore some sort of insignia depicting a set of wings. On one shoulder, Chrysalis could see a patch depicting a blue and green sphere covered in a grid-like pattern, while on his other shoulder it wore a patch showing a flaming primate skull flanked by a pair of black wings.
To the left of the alien hominid was a dark blue dust pony. Dust ponies were one of the three pony races that belonged to the Night Tribes; a group of ponies that bore cat-like eyes, fangs, and a usually more muted color palate. Dust ponies differed from their bat pony and starlight pony cousins in the fact that they lacked both wings and horns, more closely resembling earth ponies in their appearance.
The dust pony wore royal, dark blue armor with bat-like motifs, easily marking him as one of Luna's Night Sentinels. The style of his armor declared him as an airship captain, though, rather than part of the Night Sentinel's regular forces. This was strange, because this particular role was usually filled by unicorns or pegasus ponies; never before had she seen this armor worn by a dust pony.
Behind the pair were two more of Princess Luna's Night Sentinels, as well as two more of the alien visitors. The ponies weren't anything special, just a thestral and a starlight pony: a bat-winged Night Tribe pegasus pony, and a unicorn who possessed a sharp, curved horn instead of the more common, straight, spiral horns of their Day Tribe cousins. Both were dressed in a manner similar to their captain, though clearly lacking the airship style in their armor. All in all, nothing that she hadn't seen before, though it was odd that the two princesses had sent Night Sentinels instead of Solar Guard.
It was the other two visitors that had caught her eye, and had given her drones cause for alarm.
They were huge, looking nothing short of two large, bipedal golems. In their large, metal hands, they gripped heavy, intimidating weapons that faintly reminded her of a wizard's staff, due to the glowing crystal at the end. She could tell that they were not golems, however, because of the clearly living face that stared out from the open face-plate of the armor. One was that of some kind of green-furred, monkey-like creature, while the other was that of a gray wolf. Their armor was incredibly imposing, covered in skull-like motifs, and what she assumed were death threats written in other languages. She felt an unpleasant shiver travel up her back as she watched the six creatures approach, and not for the first time did she deliberate the wisdom of her actions.
"You cannot back down now, too much is at stake."
Though the voice did steel her mind a bit, she still had to suppress a gulp as the imposing party approached.
As expected, the Princesses of the Sun and Moon do not show, Chrysalis observed nervously to herself. She was attempting to distract herself from her growing fear, but it didn't seem to be working. Of course, had they known that I was to meet them myself, Celestia would have insisted on being here. Somehow, this doesn't comfort me in the slightest...
* * *
The small pod roared as it set down near the small oasis, its grav discs shutting off with an audible whine as the pod powered down. “Are you sure this is the place?” Captain Hale asked as he nervously gazed out over the arid landscape.
“I'm positive. This is the Valley of Kings. It's a sacred spot for both the Saddle Arabians and the Changlings. Both have used it as neutral ground when parleying in the past, as both species are loathe to bring conflict here,” Captain Breeze answered as he readjusted his helmet.
“Why is this spot so sacred to them?” Captain Hale asked curiously, though secretly he was struggling to not groan at the horse pun that Captain Breeze just dropped. Again, he wondered whether or not his translation matrix was working properly, and why on earth it had decided to translate the name of an entire empire into a horse-related pun.
That, and the fact that the name translated into something that sounded incredibly similar to Saudi Arabia, an ancient geographical location back on Hale's home planet of earth. There are so many similarities here, it just boggles the mind... Hale thought to himself.
“Several reasons, actually,” Knight Breeze answered, breaking Hale from his reverie. “Apparently this was the site where an ancient Saddle Arabian prince fell in love with a changeling nymph, as the stories go. I'm not too familiar with the specifics myself, but it is the main reason why the Saddle Arabians refuse to hunt down and drive out the Changeling Hive that infests the desert.”
“Is that so? So we're guaranteed safety while we're here?” Hale asked nervously.
“With changelings I cannot guarantee anything except for deceit...” Breeze answered with disdain. “As I've said, I'm not too familiar on the specifics. They have historically avoided all conflict here, so I believe that they really just want to talk.”
“Good, because I'd rather not start a war with something else that can control minds,” Hale said nervously.
“You don't have to worry about that. From the descriptions that you've given us, as well as the information given by Miss Sparkle, I would conclude that changeling mind control is not only easier to spot, but easier to avoid as well. They cannot just take you over like how these 'Dridune' do; rather, they have to hit you with the spell first. The spell has a clear visual and audible clue that can be dodged, not to mention that it can also be blocked by most metals. Also, they won't be able to mentally control you from a distance; they have to be close enough to be able to give you vocal commands,” Captain Breeze reassured Hale.
Blocked by most metals, eh? Hale thought as he rubbed his forehead. “What are the visual and audible clues?” he asked, relief bleeding into his voice.
“Oh, don't worry, you won't be able to miss it,” Captain Breeze said as he fumbled with the buckle holding him in place.
“What's that supposed to mean? How will my men be able to dodge it if we don't even know what we're looking for?” Hale asked incredulously.
“Well, I don't know about the kind of place you're from, but from where I come from, if someone tries to shoot green lasers at me, I'd try to get out of harm's way,” Captain Breeze said with a sardonic grin.
“Huh...” Hale said as he reached over and unbuckled the gray pony. “One last thing, are you sure that this is all that we need?” he asked as he threw a sweeping gesture towards the pod's other inhabitants.
While Hale had brought up this point before, it was still one that he felt needed addressing. They had only brought a single unicorn by the name of Lieutenant Nova Burst, as well as a single pegasus named Sergeant Fair Weather. As for the non-pony crew, Knight Breeze had insisted on only two other members. Hale had selected a Simiate Sergeant by the name of Calavad, as well as a Wolofor Battlemaster named Ki'yun. Despite this being a diplomatic mission, Captain Breeze had insisted that they wore full battle armor, claiming that it was customary when meeting with a hostile nation.
That being said, both the sergeant and the battlemaster cut imposing figures in their powered assault armor, and not for the first time Hale wondered at the wisdom of such a show of force. At the same time, however, knowing that these creatures could control minds made him also wonder whether or not he should have brought more.
Knight Breeze just nodded at this. “I'm sure. We're just a diplomatic party, we're not here to start a war, we're just here to see what they want.”
This was true, though Hale had to wonder at this custom of sending warriors to negotiate when dealing with a hostile nation. While it was true that Hale looked the part of a diplomat, he really felt that someone more qualified should be here instead of him. Unluckily for him, however, everyone more competent than him were tied down elsewhere, or were not in the system at all. The Alliance forces that had come were a defensive force; they hadn't brought a diplomatic party, simply because Admiral Zelgius had judged that there wasn't enough time to scrounge one together.
That being said, Hale still had one trick up his sleeve, or more precisely, in his head. His nature as a cyborg allowed him to receive instruction from his superiors during even the most hectic firefights, despite the fact that he wore neither an antenna or speaker. Receiving orders during a diplomatic discussion? That would be a cakewalk in comparison.
“Anything I should be on the lookout for? For example, are there any customs that I shouldn't step on?” Hale asked as he opened the shuttle's door.
“You don't have to worry about that sort of thing. The changelings will be expecting a certain amount of hostility, as well as ignorance to their ways. Changelings rarely let outsiders into their hive, let alone tell them whether or not it is impolite to bow or not. They usually adopt to the customs of whomever they are parleying with, rather than expect others to adopt to theirs. Since you're a new species to them, they will be just as lost as you will be, so we'll actually have the advantage here,” Knight Breeze said with a grin.
Captain Hale nodded as he led the party out of the craft. “Anything else I should know about them?” he asked.
“Not really. Other than what we've told you on the way here, very little is known about the changelings. Evidence suggests that their civilization is very old, though, so I would expect a bit of arrogance and disdain,” Lieutenant Burst cut in as she stepped out of the craft.
Well, might as well get this over with, then, Hale said as he strode towards the oasis.
The strange group entered the oasis with no issues, easily catching sight of the group they were supposed to meet. However, as soon as they came into view of the assembled changelings, Knight Breeze and his subordinates froze in their tracks.
“What's wrong, Knight?” Hale asked curiously.
“We. Are. Screwed,” Knight Breeze whispered quietly to Hale. “That isn't a representative like we originally thought, that is their Queen. I wasn't in the throne room during the coup, but I have heard stories. She's ruthless, calculating and clever. We should have brought one of the Princesses with us to negotiate, otherwise I don't see any hope of us escaping here alive...”
As the Queen and her entourage approached the party, Hale took this opportunity to examine the changelings up close. The drones (at least, he assumed that they were drones, based on Captain Breeze's description) were shorter than the average pony, though they made up for that by looking twice as vicious. Inch long fangs protruded from the tops of their mouths, while a sweeping, curved horn similar to Lieutenant Burst's graced their foreheads. Their bodies were covered in a shiny black chitin, except on their back where it formed a single, dark blue shell from which their insectoid, ragged wings grew. Their eyes were a light, solid blue color, lacking both iris and pupil, giving them a soulless glare that quite unnerved Hale. These traits, as well as their hole covered legs, ragged ears, neck frills and tail gave them a distinctly menacing, alien, predator vibe that Hale found hard to shake.
There were ten drones in all, all surrounding their Queen in a protective fashion, all ready and rearing for a fight. Hale sincerely hoped that it wouldn't come to that.
The Queen herself was quite the imposing sight to behold. She was similar to her drones, but at the same time completely different. Her shiny black chitin was like theirs, as was her hole covered legs, and ragged, insectoid wings.
However, that was where the similarities ended.
She was much taller than any of the drones, easily towering over the others by a good two feet. Her mane and tail didn't appear to be hair in the traditional sense. In fact, Hale was having a hard time nailing down precisely what the turquoise substance was. It was long and stringy like hair, yet at the same time it seemed to want to stick together and act like a non-Newtonian substance. Her horn was a twisted, gnarled thing that jutted out from her forehead, while just above that was some sort of black crown thing with blue, gem-like objects sitting on the end of each of the spikes. The reason Hale was having difficulty describing it as a crown was because it honestly looked like some kind of weird growth coming out of the top of her head, rather than something she was wearing. Around her belly was a band of blue, while on her back was a much brighter blue shell then that of her drones.
However, as much as all of these differences made her stand out amongst her drones, they paled in comparison to her eyes.
Her eyes had irises and pupils, just like a humans' eyes. However, unlike a human, her eyes had two, differently shaded green irises, one encircling the other, while at their center sat catlike pupils that seemed to glow with a predatory gleam.
The Changeling Queen stopped just shy of twelve feet from Hale and his crew, then waved a single, dismissive hoof towards her drones. They began chattering to her in some kind of incomprehensible language, to which Hale leaned down towards Captain Breeze in confusion. “Do you understand any of that?”
“Not a single word. But whatever she's planning, the drones don't like it in the slightest,” Captain Breeze answered.
The Queen just snapped at the assembled drones, her eyes glowing green as her patience reached its limits. They immediately backed down, their heads bowed in submission towards their ruler as they withdrew from around her. She then stepped forward until she was six feet in front of Hale, her eyes searching his face, almost as if she was looking for answers.
Her front legs then buckled, and the Queen of the Changelings fell into what was unmistakably a bow.
“Welcome noble Star Warrior, foe to the Willslayer. My home, my lands, and my changelings are yours to command. Use us wisely,” she said, pointedly ignoring the stunned silence from the drones behind her.